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Stone -plodding/unkillable
Invul -solid/with a god power (sort of)
Wp -solid/regen tanker
Ice -best control/good shields
Dark -good damage/moderate shields
Fire -high damage/moderate shields
Shield -good (to high) damage/good shields (currently popular)
Generalities in abundance, hope you find what you're looking to play.
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Tanker Fun
This might be amusing:
* Dark Armor
The best melee-controller set. Fussy and hard on endurance; you aren't meant to run all your armors at once. Resistance based. Full of several different kinds of control and utility including fear, stun, and to hit debuff. Relies on self heal. Needs knockback protection. One of the armors turns you into a dust bunny. The others just wreath you in smoke.
Played by: controller fans and emo kids.
* Fiery Aura
The old offensive set. Resistance based. Adds a very slow +endurance power, a very slow build up style power, and a damage based AoE that mobs run for so it doesn't do much any more. Solid damage aura. Needs knockback protection.
Played by: veterans who are attached to the characters they rolled when it was better than it is now.
* Ice Armor
The chief defense set. The chief aggro holding set. Endurance recovery and an odd tier 9 that amounts to an in-combat rest. Almost all defense, so liable to sudden spikes in damage.
Played by: Vikings, and players who want to hold all the aggro and don't care what they look like doing it.
* Invulnerability
An old set that's had its ups and downs; was lacking for a long while, much better now. Resistance and defense, much stronger against physical than other damage. Self-heal is the only real utility. Solid at holding aggro. Controversial tier 9 is a reverse-suicide button that is almost certain to kill you if you are in combat when it crashes.
Played by: Team tankers who want their characters' costumes to be visible while they tank.
* Shield Defense
The new offensive set. The distinctive look of the power is not an obscuring aura but a fashion accessory. Has a damage buff and a strong AoE attack. Not all that strong, but a lot of fun.
Played by: Spartans and former Fire tankers.
* Stone Armor
In Granite, the toughest tanker in the game. Makes up for this toughness with a damage, recharge, and movement penalty. A lackluster defense plus regeneration set out of Granite, where your anti-mez power comes with a movement penalty as well. All Granite tanks are identical in appearance.
Played by: people who want to live, and who don't care what they look like as long as they survive.
* Willpower
With mild, unconcealing aura powers making it friendly to any concept, with uniquely useful passives including an early available Stamina type endurance power, with fairly good out of the box performance that can become extremely tough when Tough and Weave are added, and that can easily get the endurance to run them, the regeneration based Willpower has everything going for it except for one thing. The taunt aura is much weaker than other tankers get. You definitely need Taunt if you are going this route.
Played by: Regen scrappers, and people who enjoy writing Taunt binds.
<《 New Colchis / Guides / Mission Architect 》>
"At what point do we say, 'You're mucking with our myths'?" - Harlan Ellison
Well, in no particular order:
Fire armor: Resistance reduces incoming damage (hopefully) to the point where the strong self-heal can keep up with it. Very strong against fire damage, weak against cold, psi, and knockback. A good damage aura and fiery embrace (a variety of build up) make this an offense-heavy set, but the resistance numbers are not huge, and the set lacks a traditional tier 9 'godmode' power, instead having a self-rez in rise of the phoenix. Has an endurance recovery tool in consume. Overall, a set which accepts slightly weaker survivability in trade for offense.
Ice armor: 'Typed' defense causes most attacks with a smashing, lethal, energy, or negative component to miss. Very strong cold resistance, but very weak against fire and psi. Has a strong self-heal on a long timer (hoarfrost) and two aggro auras. One of them slows and debuffs the damage of nearby enemies, the other simply deals damage to them. The tier 9 is a 'phase' type power that renders you immobile and invincible for a short period, while quickly recovering your health and endurance. Has a strong endurance recovery tool in energy absorption which also boosts your defense when used. A strong survivability set which layers some healing and debuffs on top of its defense, and is known for being the undisputed king of aggro gathering thanks to its dual auras.
Dark armor: Another resistance set with a extremely strong self-heal, dark armor is strong against negative energy and psi, has protection from fear and endurance drain, but is weak to energy and knockback. Has a self stealth and two auras which deal out status effects to nearby enemies instead of fire's damage tools. Much stronger defensively than fire, but not the same offense. Extremely end heavy set, with a lot of toggles and an absurdly strong but absurdly expensive self-heal. Also has a self-res for a tier 9. Overall, somewhat of a 'finesse' set - managing the end costs and timing the heal can make the difference between a squishy tank and one with god-like survivability.
Invul: Middle of the road set, with a combination of defense and resistance. Extremely strong against smashing and lethal damage, somewhat weaker against energy/negative/fire/cold, no protection at all against psi. Has a strong self-heal on a long timer (dull pain), and a strong god-mode with a nasty crash at the end. Likes to be surrounded by enemies to fuel its invincibility power -- the more nearby foes, the higher the defense. Can actually be *safer* in a big crowd than when only fighting a few enemies. A decently strong set overall, its specialty is in dealing with smashing and lethal damage.
Shield defense: The new kid on the block, shield combines smaller amounts of defense, resistance, and maximum HP boosting into a well-rounded, but not extremely strong, defensive package. No resistance against psi damage, but the defense and hp boosting can help there, and shields has very comprehensive mez protection. Strong offensive abilities - shield charge is a potent AoE attack with strong mitigation, and against all odds boosts your damage to nearly unheard-of levels for a tanker - if you're surrounded. Has a medium strength tier 9 with a soft crash. Also has the quirk of having two powers that key off of nearby teammates - one that grants you defense, and one that grants them defense. Neither are very strong, however. Somewhat weaker defensively overall, but a very strong offensive set, at least as good as fire and probably better.
Willpower: Very well-rounded overall survivability set. Combines some resistance, defense, and maximum HP boosting with very strong regeneration. Very strong against psi damage and has good mez protection, but somewhat weaker to 'spike' damage that could defeat you before your regeneration can kick in. A bit like invincibility in that the regeneration gets stronger the more foes are nearby - the safest place can often be right in the middle of the crowd. Has quick recovery - effectively stamina - available early, and has a tier 9 very similar to shield's. The aggro aura is very weak, however - enemies can easily be distracted from a willpower user. Overall, a very strong survivability set against everything but alpha strikes, but can have trouble holding aggro.
Stone armor: The undisputed king of pure toughness, stone is actually a somewhat weaker and end-heavy set before 32, with a lot of toggles which provide a mix of defense and resistance to most damage types along with a bit of regeneration. Has an armor which provides psi defense, unlike some sets. The tier 9, however, totally changes the set - it is a toggle which provides massive amounts of defense and resistance to everything but psi, but greatly slows your movement and attack rates, as well as lowering your damage. Combined with your mez protection, which also slows you down, you won't be moving very fast. The best tanker at pure survivability, at least after 32, but very low offense and mobility.
@MuonNeutrino
Student, Gamer, Altaholic, and future Astronomer.
This is what it means to be a tank!
Invulnerability: The primary that has most other Tankers rerolling Scrappers.
Fire: The primary for people who pay to be alone in a multiplayer game.
Shields: The primary made to seduce Warriors over from Worlds of Warcraft.
Ice: Tanker on the rocks.
Stone: For people who are frightened and confused by the character builder.
Dark: For those that cried when seeing Donnie Darko and wish to cry more while tanking.
Will Power: Because having a Regen Tanker would drive Scrappers to new heights of whineyness and envy.
Hope this helped 
[ QUOTE ]
Well, in no particular order:
Fire armor: Resistance reduces incoming damage (hopefully) to the point where the strong self-heal can keep up with it. Very strong against fire damage, weak against cold, psi, and knockback. A good damage aura and fiery embrace (a variety of build up) make this an offense-heavy set, but the resistance numbers are not huge, and the set lacks a traditional tier 9 'godmode' power, instead having a self-rez in rise of the phoenix. Has an endurance recovery tool in consume. Overall, a set which accepts slightly weaker survivability in trade for offense.
Ice armor: 'Typed' defense causes most attacks with a smashing, lethal, energy, or negative component to miss. Very strong cold resistance, but very weak against fire and psi. Has a strong self-heal on a long timer (hoarfrost) and two aggro auras. One of them slows and debuffs the damage of nearby enemies, the other simply deals damage to them. The tier 9 is a 'phase' type power that renders you immobile and invincible for a short period, while quickly recovering your health and endurance. Has a strong endurance recovery tool in energy absorption which also boosts your defense when used. A strong survivability set which layers some healing and debuffs on top of its defense, and is known for being the undisputed king of aggro gathering thanks to its dual auras.
Dark armor: Another resistance set with a extremely strong self-heal, dark armor is strong against negative energy and psi, has protection from fear and endurance drain, but is weak to energy and knockback. Has a self stealth and two auras which deal out status effects to nearby enemies instead of fire's damage tools. Much stronger defensively than fire, but not the same offense. Extremely end heavy set, with a lot of toggles and an absurdly strong but absurdly expensive self-heal. Also has a self-res for a tier 9. Overall, somewhat of a 'finesse' set - managing the end costs and timing the heal can make the difference between a squishy tank and one with god-like survivability.
Invul: Middle of the road set, with a combination of defense and resistance. Extremely strong against smashing and lethal damage, somewhat weaker against energy/negative/fire/cold, no protection at all against psi. Has a strong self-heal on a long timer (dull pain), and a strong god-mode with a nasty crash at the end. Likes to be surrounded by enemies to fuel its invincibility power -- the more nearby foes, the higher the defense. Can actually be *safer* in a big crowd than when only fighting a few enemies. A decently strong set overall, its specialty is in dealing with smashing and lethal damage.
Shield defense: The new kid on the block, shield combines smaller amounts of defense, resistance, and maximum HP boosting into a well-rounded, but not extremely strong, defensive package. No resistance against psi damage, but the defense and hp boosting can help there, and shields has very comprehensive mez protection. Strong offensive abilities - shield charge is a potent AoE attack with strong mitigation, and against all odds boosts your damage to nearly unheard-of levels for a tanker - if you're surrounded. Has a medium strength tier 9 with a soft crash. Also has the quirk of having two powers that key off of nearby teammates - one that grants you defense, and one that grants them defense. Neither are very strong, however. Somewhat weaker defensively overall, but a very strong offensive set, at least as good as fire and probably better.
Willpower: Very well-rounded overall survivability set. Combines some resistance, defense, and maximum HP boosting with very strong regeneration. Very strong against psi damage and has good mez protection, but somewhat weaker to 'spike' damage that could defeat you before your regeneration can kick in. A bit like invincibility in that the regeneration gets stronger the more foes are nearby - the safest place can often be right in the middle of the crowd. Has quick recovery - effectively stamina - available early, and has a tier 9 very similar to shield's. The aggro aura is very weak, however - enemies can easily be distracted from a willpower user. Overall, a very strong survivability set against everything but alpha strikes, but can have trouble holding aggro.
Stone armor: The undisputed king of pure toughness, stone is actually a somewhat weaker and end-heavy set before 32, with a lot of toggles which provide a mix of defense and resistance to most damage types along with a bit of regeneration. Has an armor which provides psi defense, unlike some sets. The tier 9, however, totally changes the set - it is a toggle which provides massive amounts of defense and resistance to everything but psi, but greatly slows your movement and attack rates, as well as lowering your damage. Combined with your mez protection, which also slows you down, you won't be moving very fast. The best tanker at pure survivability, at least after 32, but very low offense and mobility.
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Very good post, though I would add that the aggro aura for Shield Defense is about as strong as Willpower's, but the extra AoE damage from Shield Charge helps the Shielder maintain aggro.
[ QUOTE ]
Invulnerability: The primary that has most other Tankers rerolling Scrappers.
Fire: The primary for people who pay to be alone in a multiplayer game.
Shields: The primary made to seduce Warriors over from Worlds of Warcraft.
Ice: Tanker on the rocks.
Stone: For people who are frightened and confused by the character builder.
Dark: For those that cried when seeing Donnie Darko and wish to cry more while tanking.
Will Power: Because having a Regen Tanker would drive Scrappers to new heights of whineyness and envy.
Hope this helped
[/ QUOTE ]
Sounds about right to me!
Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
"I was just the one with the most unsolicited sombrero." - Traegus
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Fire: The primary for people who pay to be alone in a multiplayer game.
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Ouch!!
True however. A fire/ tank is one of the best solo builds in the game (IMHO). Self Rez, Self Heal, Self End Management, and extra buildup to boot.
It is on the low end of the tanker scale. It can and still does tank well in the right hands.
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It is on the low end of the tanker scale. It can and still does tank well in the right hands.
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Word.
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Very good post, though I would add that the aggro aura for Shield Defense is about as strong as Willpower's, but the extra AoE damage from Shield Charge helps the Shielder maintain aggro.
[/ QUOTE ]
It originally was that way, but that seems to have changed at some point in here. City of data now lists it as a 16.875 second mag 4 taunt instead of the 1.25 second mag 3 taunt it used to be, and that seems to be backed up by both the in-game numbers (shows '400% taunt' instead of willpower's 300%) and my anecdotal experience - shielders sure seem to be holding aggro a lot more easily than most WPs I come across.
@MuonNeutrino
Student, Gamer, Altaholic, and future Astronomer.
This is what it means to be a tank!
[ QUOTE ]
* Shield Defense
Played by: _______ and former Fire tankers.
[/ QUOTE ]
Darn it! Someone finally figured me out!
Thanks guys, the CoH community is a lot more helpful and friendly than the WoW community as a whole. Anyway, based on my character's concept, which is a bit tl;dr to post here, I need to pick a primary that's light on the special effects (ie. Fiery Aura flames) because my character's a normal guy that's a vigilante.
Which sets are light on the special effects and have little to no special auras? I'm gonna choose either DB, BA, or WM for my secondary because my char would use a weapon. Thanks
The two most graphics-light primaries are Invulnerability and Willpower. Shields is also not bad graphically if you don't mind your character toting a shield around. Ice and Stone armor are the worst offenders in this regard.
(Edit) I should add that you cannot pair Dual Blades with Shield Defense until three-armed character models become available. 
[ QUOTE ]
Thanks guys, the CoH community is a lot more helpful and friendly than the WoW community as a whole. Anyway, based on my character's concept, which is a bit tl;dr to post here, I need to pick a primary that's light on the special effects (ie. Fiery Aura flames) because my character's a normal guy that's a vigilante.
Which sets are light on the special effects and have little to no special auras? I'm gonna choose either DB, BA, or WM for my secondary because my char would use a weapon. Thanks
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Willpower or Invulnerability would be the way to go for minimal special effects. Shield wouldn't be bad, either, but it can't be used with DB.
My Characters
Knight Court--A CoH Story Complete 2/3/2012
Yep - the three most universally concept friendly sets are Shields, Willpower, and Invulnerability. Invulnerability and Willpower have glows that are not all that distracting, especially if particles are on a low setting. Shields just hands you a shield, which comes with many customizable varieties.
Battle Axe and Mace work quite well with Willpower; I don't recommend Dual Blades all that much with it though.
Dual Blades is very demanding and has fairly tight build requirements, so it works best with primaries with plenty of skippable powers, like Fire Armor, Stone, and (to a lesser extent) Invulnerability.
<《 New Colchis / Guides / Mission Architect 》>
"At what point do we say, 'You're mucking with our myths'?" - Harlan Ellison
[ QUOTE ]
Thanks guys, the CoH community is a lot more helpful and friendly than the WoW community as a whole. Anyway, based on my character's concept, which is a bit tl;dr to post here, I need to pick a primary that's light on the special effects (ie. Fiery Aura flames) because my character's a normal guy that's a vigilante.
Which sets are light on the special effects and have little to no special auras? I'm gonna choose either DB, BA, or WM for my secondary because my char would use a weapon. Thanks
[/ QUOTE ]
In order:
Willpower
Shields (if a shield graphic fits your concept)
Invulnerability (Herc is right about the settings but if you run on high settings you can't fail to miss a glowing Invuln tanker).
Will Power has almost no glow (a slight pulsing yellow from time to time) at all and Shield has no visible aura (I think) other than for the actual shield which you can pick from a variety of.
Fire has it's auras (more obvious then Invuln's) and Ice/Stone/Dark either partially or totally obscure the toon's visuals via their toggles.
Will Power might fit your theme the best from what you're describing.
[ QUOTE ]
Which sets are light on the special effects and have little to no special auras? I'm gonna choose either DB, BA, or WM for my secondary because my char would use a weapon. Thanks
[/ QUOTE ]
WP, & custom weapons, of the three you listed, mace of course has the hawtest weapons. ;]
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Very good post, though I would add that the aggro aura for Shield Defense is about as strong as Willpower's, but the extra AoE damage from Shield Charge helps the Shielder maintain aggro.
[/ QUOTE ]
It originally was that way, but that seems to have changed at some point in here. City of data now lists it as a 16.875 second mag 4 taunt instead of the 1.25 second mag 3 taunt it used to be, and that seems to be backed up by both the in-game numbers (shows '400% taunt' instead of willpower's 300%) and my anecdotal experience - shielders sure seem to be holding aggro a lot more easily than most WPs I come across.
[/ QUOTE ]
Hmmm, good info, didn't think to check CoD: I assumed Mids' was up to date enough on the shields numbers. This avoids a post I've been meaning to make re: my scrapper duo I've recently started. I have a dm/shield who's able to brawl away aggro from my friends' kat/wp scrapper. I didn't think that should be possible if the taunt aspect of the auras were identical, but since they aren't then that explains that 
Sucks, tho, she's a bit more survivable than I am at the level we're playing at right now (low 20s).
If you don't mind fighting one-handed, you could try Shield. You would just need to make your primary color black, for the energy shield. It would mute the visuals significantly. There would of course still be a circle around your left arm.
@TriNitroToluene.
@DynaMight
I'm curious as to the specialty of each of the Tanker primaries. How do each of them play and what do they specialize in? Thanks